All He Wants for Christmas
by Rutoh-Chan
Summary: Sometimes you don't learn your lesson the first time.  So Lory will teach it to you again.
1. Assignment

_Alright, I won't clutter the top with too much stuff, but for anyone who read **Her Fairy Prince**_, _there is going to be a note at the bottom._

_This short takes place December of Kyoko's 18th birthday. Should only be two chapters. Also, while I don't believe in excuses, for anyone who feels like there are tons of errors and wants an explanation, my beta has a life and is busy with family and Christmas, so I'm running this one solo. Sorry._

* * *

It was just barely December and Christmas celebrations were once again in full swing at LME. The year had been busy and full of all kinds of fun and trouble, but the festive spirit seemed to encourage people. Of course, the president had overdone things, as usual. But only the newest employees felt the insecurity that prompted complaints.

Well, and then there was the LoveMe section. But their reasons for complaint had little to do with the president or his eccentricity in particular and everything to do with the season.

"Mo, if I get one more offer for some stupid, cutesy, 'take your significant other out on a date' commercial, I swear I will kill someone," Kanae complained as the three girls sat sorting some papers in the LoveMe room.

"Isn't Christmas some sort of Christian holiday?" Chiori asked, adding her whining to the conversation. "How did it turn into some sort of crazy lovey-dovey, stupid couples day? Isn't one day a year like that enough?"

"More like one too many," Kyoko growled, her own memories from Valentine's Day (and the proceeding White Day) taunting her mercilessly. Her companions voiced an avid agreement.

"Hello my darlings!" Takarada Lory burst suddenly into the room, dressed happily as Santa once again, this year without the reindeer. Apparently there had been a number of injuries the year before, and Lory was not so eccentric as to allow his talents to come to too much danger at his hands.

"President," Kyoko greeted him respectfully while her friends looked at each other in horror.

The relationship between Chiori and Kanae had blossomed in the past months. With Kyoko busy helping Ren with her "Dangerous Mission," the other two girls had spent much time together, and had realized a similarity in their ways of thinking. Now, they would sometimes respond in stereo or look up when something they found funny was stated to share a knowing glance. Their fear and distaste for the crazy president was also shared. And since neither had been told what Kyoko's secrets task had been, they currently carried a grudge against the man as well.

Kyoko was a precious person, a skilled actress, and a very innocent girl. Whatever the dangerous mission had been, they resented being kept from protecting her from it in any any appearance from this man meant another crazy task was on the way. They could only imagine the terror this one would bring.

"And how are my lovely messengers of love in this wonderful season?" he asked with a giant grin on his face. "You don't seem to happy."

"Work has been a little slow," Kyoko explained, "for all of us. We're helping with paperwork, but I think we all wish we had more acting jobs."

"Bah, what does work have to do with Christmas? Aren't you excited?"

"I think we're focused in the moment, sir," Kanae replied with as much calm as she could.

"Focused in the moment? The moment is the Christmas season! A time of love and happiness and family and friends!"

"And lovers," came the bitter and caustic reply from all three of the girls. Lory paused and stroked his chin.

"In your honest opinion," he asked, "what is Christmas?"

"A stupid event for even more stupid people to make themselves look good, pretending to cry and miss their family," Chiori growled.

"An obligation to _see_ your family," Kanae added with a growl. "To _speak _to them!"

"Waste of money, and time. Girls buys presents for guys they like and get dejected and feel alone!" Kyoko added with a burning resentment.

All three girls froze as they felt the room drop to arctic temperatures. Glancing nervously at their president they realized that they really needed to learn how to control their unruly tongues.

"I see. In short, you have learn nothing, _absolutely nothing_, that I tried to teach you earlier this year. You were given experiences, extensive and carefully planned, especially you Mogami-san, and these in order to help you understand a _basic_ principle, _tiny portion_, of love. And you, _all_ of you, failed to learn it. I have never been more disappointed in my life."

This was a lie, but since his greater disappointment had been his inability to make a certain fickle digital dating sim hero fall in love, Lory chose to go for greater impact with a touch of dishonesty.

He was a little hurt by the stricken look that came to Kyoko's face right away. Unlike her companions, she had had very few complaints about her assignment once she had gotten into it, had done _very _well in it, and had earned heartfelt praise and gratitude both from her respected senpai and from the president. That in some way she had failed in spite of all of this clearly broke her heart.

"What did you expect?" Kanae snapped. "You gave us jobs that we hated more than anything. Sure, we worked through them, but that doesn't mean we have to like them. I thought that was the point. Learning to do things that are hard. We haven't whined in front of anyone else, or spoiled anyone else's fun. Why can't we complain a bit?"

"Because you are ruining each other," Lory told her frankly. "You have become excellent friends and that is a very good thing. But you're letting your bitterness hold each other back instead of encouraging one another. That is not acceptable."

"Gee, thanks," Kanae grumbled. But all three of them grudgingly admitted to his being right. With so many shared opinions on the things that they hated, it hardly made them more generous towards the world to spend time together.

"So you're against Christmas season because of its loving nature?"

"Well, it seems really commercialized," Kyoko said logically. "And really couple focused. Even more than not having family, it seems like they're making fun of people who are going to be alone… with out a date."

"No kidding," Kanae interpolated.

"Because heaven forbid that we don't drape ourselves over a _man_ all year round," Chiori added. All three girls grumbled agreements at this.

"What's wrong with men?" Lory asked, a queer gleam in his eyes. The girls, sagging in their seats and slouched over the table missed it.

"They're arrogant," Kanae provided.

"They only like stupid girls," was Chiori's bitter reply.

"There are no gentlemen left in the world," came an extremely jaded response from Kyoko. Lory's mouth quirked up in an evil grin, but he kept his voice patronizing.

"They can't all be that bad." The glares he got from the girls were excessively disheartening. He sighed and pointed at Chiori. "Name for me the first man that comes into your head that you don't hate, and think might have a fraction of a brain at least."

She took a moment before listing a boy in her last drama who had not thrown himself at the feet of their ditzy costar. In fact, he had criticized the girl, sincerely, to Chiori and had told the LoveMe girl that he wished Chiori was the star so that they could actually get this done, since it was obvious who was more professional and skilled.

Lory's finger traveled to Kanae.

"Now you."

"I don't know any _men_ like that," she growled.

"Male," Lory conceded.

"Uesugi Hio," she admitted. Lory smiled and his finger slid over to Kyoko and he nodded at her.

"A man you don't hate."

"Tsuruga-san." No hesitation.

"Excellent. I have a new assignment for the three of you." The girls blanched at this. "You are, each of you, to contrive to spend Christmas with the man- male, that you specified. You may tell any lie, or even admit to the truth, that I forced you to do this. But you are to reserve them for the entirety of the day, or at least as much of it as their parents will allow," he mentioned, glancing at Kanae.

"What if they're busy, or have other plans?" Chiori asked. Kyoko, who had frozen in to a statue at the president's ultimatum thawed a little at this.

"If they have a girlfriend, or work that they can't bring you to, I will accept it as an excuse. But if you cannot manage to convince them, you fail the assignment as if you hadn't even tried."

"But-" Kyoko's voice cracked and she tried again. "But what if they really, really, _really_ don't want to spend Christmas with us? If they would hate it more than anything? Wouldn't it be bad to make them angry? That isn't loving at all."

All three of the people in the room gave her a look that bypassed the understanding portion of her brain, but stated clearly to the rest of the world that this was not an issue for her. Lory, knowing that nothing he would say could actually convince her, simply sighed and waved his hand back and forth in a dismissive gesture.

"If you can't convince one man to spend a day with you, I have lost faith in you as an actress. Surely you can think of something that will appeal to his gentlemanly nature? You were supposed to chose a person you had some small scrap of faith in, who wouldn't act like all the men that you described."

"But… intruding on his time-"

"No more excuses," Lory cut her off. "The only one of you who might have trouble is Amamiya-san. Ren is already fully aware of the rules of the LoveMe section. Explain to him that a failure to complete this assignment will result in me personally giving you several minus 100 stamps and you will have his professional help at the very least, _if_ he is so disobliging as to tell you he is busy or has other plans, which is a lie."

"He doesn't have work?"

"Yashiro demanded the days off. I made Ren clear his schedule from Christmas Eve for four days. So he has no excuses and neither do you."

"Can I say that you told him to do it?"

"No. But if he actually gives you that much trouble, you come straight to me." The look of ferocity on his face chilled every girl in the room, but he quickly smiled and they breathed a sigh of relief. "Any questions?"

"Do we have to?" Kyoko mumbled, not really asking, but hoping to avoid the presumptuous situation she was about to find herself in.

"Absolutely you have to! And no delays! Oh look, you're in luck. Good afternoon, Ren!"

"President," he nodded as he paused in the doorway. "Did you need me for something?"

"Mogami-san does. No delaying," he told the girl as he slipped around the tall actor towards the hall, gesturing for the other two girls. "I'll have someone come down and collect these to take back to their departments. You two head out and start making plans. You have no other work until this is set up. You too, Mogami-san." And then he was gone, leaving Kanae and Chiori to exit with pitying looks directed at their friend.

"New LoveMe assignment?" Yashiro asked, stepping up from behind Ren and smiling at the girl.

"Yes." Her cheeks were touched with the lightest pink. "The president… is not happy with our feelings towards Christmas. So he gave us all a special assignment to spend all of Christmas with someone."

It was a good thing that she was looking down because she missed the look of pure ecstasy that appeared on Yashiro's face. He couldn't have been more excited if he had been the one in love with Kyoko.

"Is that right?" Ren asked, a calm, but slightly chilled smile on his face. "And have you picked someone to spend your time with?"

"Actually… I was wondering if you were free on Christmas, Tsuruga-san?" Noticing the slightly cool nature of his smile she instantly froze up herself. "T-that is, if you don't m-mind, or anything! The president said that you didn't have work, but if you really don't want to-" Her nervousness became depression in a heartbeat. "I can just tell the president I wasn't able to do the assignment. You aren't responsible for me."

"What happens if you don't do it?" Ren asked, worried by the idea of her not completing one of Lory's special tasks. The consequences could not be light.

"Oh, nothing unusual," she told him, waving the question away and making him instantly suspicious.

"She loses several hundred points from our crazy Santa," Kanae stated as she came back into the room to grab her purse, then slipped out the door again giving Ren a significant glare.

"Several hundred… Mogami-san, that is not normal," Ren scolded as he turned back to his kohai. "That's blackmail."

"Yes… but so is telling you that so that you'll feel like you _have_ to help me. You don't have to help, really. If it's too much trouble-"

"I never said that it was troublesome," Ren interrupted. "In fact, you never gave me a chance to answer you at all. Thank you very much for your concern, but I don't have any plans for Christmas and would be happy to spend the day with you."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"I'm sorry to trouble you!" Kyoko said, bowing deeply. Ren shook his head, but did not bother to correct her. Clearly she did not believe him and he did not feel like fighting it out.

"Did you have anything in particular that you wanted to do?" he asked.

"No. The president just said that we had to spend the day together. Maria is having a party on the twenty-fourth again, this time as a sort of super celebration of both our birthdays and Christmas. She decided that since we were celebrating my birthday, it would be safe." It was clear that Kyoko was embarrassed about the attention, but pleased that she was being considered. "It's going to be a much smaller party this year, but we'll be sending out the invitations soon, and both you and Yashiro-san will be invited. Since you don't have work, you'll be able to come, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it. And it makes things convenient, I would imagine. It will be late at night again, between the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth?"

"Yes."

"Then I can just take you home when it is over, and we can call that the start of the day."

"Oh. Well yes, but we should probably sleep at least some."

"I'll think of something," Ren told her as he tried to ignore his giddy manager.

"Alright. Oh, Yashiro-san, the president said that you would be on break. Will you be able to make it to the party?"

"I wouldn't miss it," he reassured the girl. Ren was fairly certain that this had everything to do with the fact that his manager wanted to torment Ren and little to do with actually enjoying a party, but he chatted amiably with Kyoko for a few more minutes before excusing himself and heading off to work.

"So, Christmas with Kyoko-chan," he manager smiled as they slipped into the car.

"I'm just sorry to have taken the pleasure from you," Ren retorted as they drove off. "Clearly you were much more enthusiastic about her spending the day with someone. Cherishing small hopes?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Honestly, I'm surprised at you, Ren. You become more childish about your crush every day. Especially since the whole Cain and Setsu affair. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Of course not. That's why your mocking me like a five year old instead of ignoring me." Ren rolled his eyes but relaxed a bit.

"It just isn't helpful. If she doesn't choose to spend time with me, we still get along, but it's meaningless. I know both you and the president mean well, but this is getting ridiculous."

"Well, that is disappointing. But at least this way she isn't spending Christmas with some other guy." Ren grumbled in agreement, but did not get any more excited about the upcoming holiday. He eventually put on a good face so that he would not worry Kyoko every time that she saw him, but he avoided making spectacular plans. His heart would not be in it.

"Mogami-san."

"Yes?"

"Do you have a minute?"

"Yes."

"I probably won't see you again before the party at the end of the week, but I wanted to check with you on the plans for Christmas."

"Oh, I didn't have anything special planned. Did you?"

"Nothing big. I have some ideas, though."

"Then we'll go with that. I'm sure you have good ideas."

"Well, I'm not sure about good ideas, but anyway… Are grocery stores open on Christmas?"

"Usually, but they close early. Did you want me to cook?"

"If you don't mind."

"We should have time in the afternoon to pick up some stuff. But what about the party and sleep?"

"Just bring a bag with everything you would need for an overnight stay to the party. The president will have somewhere you can keep it and I'll take care of everything after that."

"Alright…" She sounded skeptical, but Ren had to go. He bid her a quick farewell and was off.

Christmas Eve found a small smattering of people at the Takarada estate. Maria had exercised every effort over her grandfather and had kept him out of most of the planning, so not only was the group small, but they were not overwhelmed by a huge greeting as they had been the year before. In fact, the only one in the entryway when Ren and Yashiro arrived together (Yashiro did not, after all, have car of his own) was Kyoko.

She smiled at the two men and gave them a formal bow and greeting. They returned her salutation and paused when she stepped in Yashiro's way. About to ask what was the problem both men were stunned to silence when she quickly stepped forward and placed a small kiss on Yashiro's cheek.

Stunned did not actually cover the feeling of absolute loathing that jumped up in Ren at that moment. Without turning around, Yashiro sensed the danger began to pray fervently for his life.

"Kyoko-chan, what-" He was cut off by her finger pointing straight up to an offending bit of green and white hanging in the doorway.

"The president insisted on it," she told him apologetically. "He was angry with Moko-san, and Amamiya-san and I for our complaints about Christmas being turned into a couples' holiday when its origins are supposed to be religious. So he decided to show us all the couples traditions from western culture. Maria and I have been switching off greeting guests, and since she's helping, he told us just to give people a kiss on the cheek. I'm sorry."

She did look sorry, or at the very least heartily embarrassed. Ren could not be angry at her or Yashiro for an event that was clearly beyond the power of either to prevent.

"Sounds like the president is causing you even more trouble," Ren told her, giving her all of his sympathy. She relaxed. For some reason, she had thought he might be very angry at her. She was glad he was not.

"Oh, it's just silly. I really wish I didn't have to, but no one seems to take it badly once it's explained."

"Well, the president is a force to be reckoned with," Yashiro noted, glancing at the offender who was dressed merrily as what had to be the Ghost of Christmas Present. Yashiro was not overly familiar with the story, but enough Christmas' around the president were an education for any man.

"I'm just glad Maria kept him in check this year," Kyoko admitted. "For the most part," she amended with a despairing look at the mistletoe overhead.

The men smiled, apologized, and went to join the guests. A short while later Kyoko joined the crowd when her landlords, the last guests, finally arrived.

It was a nice party. In spite of the awkward beginning to the evening, things went well. Maria's birthday was celebrated until midnight when a sudden blackout told everyone that Lory had lied horribly and taken things into his own hands for Kyoko's portion of the party. With the return of the lights came a drastic change in theme, from quiet formal Christmas party to a magical winter wonderland. How he had managed to deck all the walls and the ceiling with glittering false snow and icicles in less than five minutes, no one could quite figure out. But Kyoko was given a pretty white dress to change into and a small crown, and named the winter queen with Maria designated as her princess.

Kyoko allowed herself to be spoiled for a while, but was firm in her refusal to open presents before everyone else. It would be more fun to exchange Christmas gifts now, and so everyone did.

"Merry Christmas, Mogami-san," Ren told her as he handed her a small box tied with a bright red bow.

"Merry Christmas, Tsuruga-san. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything nicer."

"Ridiculous," he responded as he opened his own box. The inside was a small booklet that appeared to be hand made. It was titled, _If You Have No Other Choice_. Inside was a series of meals that were not space food that could be eaten quickly, while driving, and were not too junky. They also listed appropriate prepackaged food in stores that had some nutritional value.

"I can't force you to eat better foods, but I tried to make it pocket sized so that you can take it with you. I also listed all the places the food is kept in the store so that it would be easy to find."

"This… is very thoughtful," he told her, unsure how to exactly tell her how much he appreciated the gesture. "And it doubles as a present for Yashiro, since he eats whatever I do. I'm very impressed. Was it hard to make?"

"Only printing it. It got too hard to write everything out by hand, so I had to borrow a computer at work in my free time. You really like it?"

"Yes, I really do like it. Thank you very much. Now, are you going to open your present?"

"Oh, yes."

She pulled the bow apart and lifted the lid on the box carefully, freezing when she saw what was inside.

"Tsuruga-san… you shouldn't have!" Coming from anyone else, that would merely have been a vocalization of gratitude, but from his kohai, Ren knew that it was sincere, especially with its accompanying look. He was not upset. He had predicted it.

"You don't like them? Do they not match?"

"They do match, but really-"

"It was hard for the jeweler to copy the design exactly, but he eventually got it. I have to say I'm glad that you've been wearing Princess Rosa as Natsu. It made getting a picture for reference very easy."

"But matching earrings-"

"They're a little smaller actually, which was why he had some trouble. Resizing can be tricky."

"But it must have cost-"

"Mogami-san, weren't you taught not to evaluate the cost of a gift? It's rude, because then you might start comparing between people's gifts and look greedy."

"Oh I didn't mean that! But Tsuruga-san!"

"I bought them especially for you. Are you really unhappy with that?"

"No, no, no, no, no! Not unhappy! I… I really like them." Her voice softened as her finger traced the thin metal and small gems. "But I really shouldn't-"

Thankfully she was interrupted by Kanae at this point who had had enough of Tsuruga Ren hogging her best friend. A gleeful exchange was made over their gifts and Kyoko was distracted enough the rest of the night that she did not try and dissuade him again. He was a little worried because he had also gotten her a birthday present, separately, and he imagined she would try and reject both presents once he brought gifts up again. But he would convince her, somehow.

The party wore to a close and once all the other guests had left Ren approached Kyoko.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes. Let me go grab my stuff."

Lory approached him as he was waiting.

"You're on your best behavior?"

"President-"

"I know you probably hate my guts right now-"

"Yes."

"And you hate it when I make plans without your permission," Lory continued, ignoring the interruption. "But this is as much for her sake as it is for yours. Apparently her landlords are keeping the store open this year and hosting a special party, but they won't let her work because she won't tell them how much work she has with us and they want her to rest. She doesn't have other family to take care of her all day and everyone else she knows has their own family. I know Maria would be happy to have her, but…"

"You think your son might stop in?"

"Maybe. And even if he doesn't, I try and give Maria all my time at Christmas, since I'm busy the rest of the year."

"So it's for you too?"

"Maybe a little," Lory admitted with a smile. "Just have fun Ren. I don't really expect anything. I meant for it to feel like a punishment when I handed it out, just to keep them in line, but I do want them all to have a good Christmas, with or without romance."

"Hating the holidays hits a sore spot for you?"

Lory smiled in acknowledgment and waved to Kyoko as she scampered back into the room, dressed in the outfit she had come in.

"I left the dress where I got it. Thank you so much, President. It was wonderful."

Lory smiled and waved to two off, not mentioning he was having the dress sent to her home as her gift from him. Like Ren, he knew what her reaction would be, and he did not feel like spoiling the mood.

* * *

_Chapter one. Good grief, I need to write shorter fics..._

_A NOTE FOR HFP READERS: I know when I first wrote the story I planned it as a one-shot and when my readers begged for a second chapter I relented and it grew rather large. Now many of you have asked me why the heck I stopped the story before a real proposal and her meeting his parents and all that jazz. Since I don't have time to respond to all of you individually, some of you I can't, and since I like making myself clear, here is my reasoning. I didn't want to. Sorry, but just not in this fic. There are only so many ways that Ren can propose that are reasonable, so many ways for her to meet his parents, and so many ways for them to announce it to the world. Okay, there are lots of ways, but only a few that I am fond of. And I will be writing fics that spell out clearly all the way to their wedding, and maybe even the wedding itself (though I am incredibly unromantic when it comes to weddings so...). But it isn't going to happen in this one. I tried to make it clear where everything was going and that there was a happily ever after, but for me, the story was more about them meeting again and how it changed their path, not their destination._

_Alright, my rambling aside, hope that you liked this chapter of this story. Chapter two will hopefully be out tomorrow. Apologies again to everyone who noticed my sad lack of beta. Hope you're having fun, Will.  
_


	2. Affection

_Chapter two. Enjoy._

* * *

Kyoko was quiet as she followed Ren to his car. He did not seem to be upset, but he was definitely lost in his own thoughts and so she let him be. Until they had started driving and she realized that she had no idea where they were going.

"Tsuruga-san."

"Yes?"

"Where exactly are we headed?"

"Oh. I figured we'd just head over to my apartment. I have the guest room ready for you, and it should be easy to make plans once we've both had a good night's sleep."

"Oh, but I couldn't possibly intrude!" Ren gave her a tolerant look.

"Mogami-san, how many rooms were there at the hotel?" He could only mean one place.

"One," she responded with a blush.

"And how long did we live there?"

"A while."

"And why, after _all_ of that, would you imagine that I would invite you to my home if I felt that it was an intrusion?"

This concept struck her and she was silent for a long time.

"You… really don't mind?"a

"Mogami-san…"

"Sorry."

If he was being honest, Ren would admit that his temper was a bit short at the moment. Even with Lory's explanation for why he had foisted Kyoko onto Ren for as much of twenty-four hours as Ren could manage, there was a bitter, used feeling haunting the star. The plan's origins were bad enough, but the mistletoe trick at the beginning of the party had eaten at him slowly and now…

Now he was going to have to beg and plead with Kyoko to spend time with him and enjoy herself. It was not that he did not want to be with Kyoko, but what he really wanted was for her to choose to be with him.

They arrived at his apartment and Ren snagged her bag before she could object.

"You can use the shower first. The guest room is already made up, so you can head straight to bed once you're finished."

"Alright," she responded quietly, holding out her hand for the bag as she stepped into the living room and turned towards the hall. He passed it to her.

"I figured we would sleep in as long as we needed, since it's a day off. Then we can head out for some quick shopping and get everything for dinner." He paused and grimaced suddenly. "There isn't much in the house in the way of food right now, so I'm afraid you'll have to put up with space food for breakfast."

"Oh, that's fine. I'll just make sure to get something extra good for dinner then." Ren smiled apologetically.

"I'll look forward to it. Do you need anything else?"

"No. I should be fine. Should I come get you when I finish?"

"I'll be fine. Oh, and if starts to get late tomorrow morning and you're awake and I'm not, come get me. You'll have a better idea of when the store will close, and I can't force you to eat ramen all day. Is something wrong?" Kyoko had started to fidget.

"You're… something of a heavy sleeper," she reminded him. "You probably won't wake up if I knock on your door."

"Yes, but you have all kinds of ways to deal with that already," he responded as he slipped back to his own room, missing her look of horror. It had been one thing for Setsu to wake Cain up. It was another matter for Kyoko to barge into Tsuruga Ren's room at some hideous hour of the morning to get him to go grocery shopping with her. She really hoped that he woke up himself.

Turning on the light in the guest room when she had finished her shower she found a surprise waiting for her on the dresser. A huge bouquet of roses, brilliant red and beautiful, stood in a lovely vase with a small white note attached. Reading the note she found the simple message: _Happy Birthday_.

"Tsuruga-san," she called, stepping back out into the hall just as he was stepping into the bathroom.

"Something wrong?"

"What is that?" His eyes followed her vaguely gesturing hand back to the bedroom, then noticed the small card still in her fingers.

"For your birthday. Since you turned eighteen it made a nice even dozen and a half. Do you not like the vase?"

"You already got me a gift," she told him, torn between hysteria and scolding.

"But that was for Christmas. Those are for your birthday. It would have been skimping to get you only one gift."

"There were two earrings," she mumbled without much conviction.

"Because you generally give a set of earrings in two pieces on different holidays."

"No, but each earring probably cost enough to count as a gift on its own."

"Cost _again_?"

"Sorry." Ren sighed.

"Do you not like them?" Looking up Kyoko felt cheated. It was the prelude to a face she thought she had escaped when she had finally left Cain and Setsu behind her.

"Don't you dare look at me like that," she demanded, pointing an accusing finger. He cocked his head to the side in question, but still managed to look like a wounded puppy. "Yes, that face!" But her defenses had already crumbled.

"I can throw them out if you don't like them," he told her, all morose penitence.

"I like them," she replied, hanging her head. "But I can't get you anything so nice."

Ren walked over and forced her face up.

"Mogami-san, I can safely tell you that you are the only person who has managed to get me gifts that I really like. I don't have very many interests besides acting, and most people give me random name brand items that were popular that year, which means tons of repeat gifts, or mountains of specialty foods. Heavy specialty foods." He relaxed when he saw her smile at this. "You give me gifts that you have taken time on and that I actually have use for. Yours will be the only present I got this Christmas that I'll still have next year."

"Really?"

"Yes. So will you keep the flowers? I'll be driving you home when we're finished, so you don't have to worry about carrying them."

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go to sleep."

Kanae stared at her cell phone, demanding the screen to tell her that she had at least received a text from her wayward friend. Kanae had managed to glean that Kyoko had planned to go home with Tsuruga Ren after the party, but her friend had not mentioned what exactly this would entail. Kanae only had a few more minutes before Hio's family would drop him off the spend the day, but she was not taking a chance of missing her friend's call.

At last the younger boy arrived and she slid the phone into her pocket. If she didn't get a call before she went to bed that night, someone was going to pay...

The morning found Ren awake long before Kyoko, used to nights of only two hours of sleep. He dozed in his room until he heard her get up and came out once she had begun to raid his kitchen.

"Find anything edible?" he asked as he walked in. She smiled.

"You have some leftover food in your fridge that doesn't look too old. I think I can make something out of it."

"If I tell you that I don't remember what it could be or how it got there, will that make you more cautious?" She took out a container and sniffed at it gingerly.

"I think your memory problems have more to do with you not getting home at a decent time. This should be fine."

"How long before we should head out?" Kyoko looked up at the clock.

"We should have another two hours before the store I'm thinking of closes. As long as we go by car, it should be fine. Did you have anything you wanted for dinner?"

"I leave myself in your more than capable hands." She shook her head to refute the compliment, but was happy that he did trust her.

After a quick breakfast the two headed out to the store for what turned out to be a hilarious shopping trip. Upon learning that Ren had no idea how to shop or cook so many months ago, Kyoko had begun to try and teach him every time that she took him out. It had mixed results. Occasionally he would be attentive, but most of the time he was just annoying.

Today he devoted himself to finding stupid things to say that were more amusing than intentionally stupid. Kyoko was in stitches for most of the trip and was distracted enough that Ren managed to make it out of the store before she realized he had paid for everything. This started an argument that last all the way home on him letting her cover at least half since she was eating the food as well.

"You're cooking. That is your contribution to the meal."

"But I'll be eating most of it!"

"You're my guest. I'm paying for the food."

"But-"

"You asked me if I would spend Christmas with you and then told me to make the plans. I'm covering all the costs now."

"Fine." But she pouted the rest of the way back.

She sulked all the way through making lunch and Ren ignored her antics, used to similar tantrums from time spent with Setsu. By the time she set the table she had recovered herself and apologized for being a poor guest.

"Well, I don't think either of us really had any expectations for today, so it isn't a problem," he responded mildly.

"You don't have plans?"

"I have a plan," he admitted. "But I figured as long as this was an assignment from the President you wouldn't be really interested in doing much. Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to spend the rest of the day as Cain and Setsu, since there seems to be no end to the trouble that they can cause."

"We could do that?"

"Well, since I technically bought most of the clothing you used for Setsu, the president saw fit to leave me with everything. It's in a suitcase in the closet in the guest room. I haven't gone through it, but it's full."

"Oh."

"So if you'd like…" Kyoko stared at her food thoughtfully for a few moments.

"Actually, as much as I enjoyed acting Setsuka, I think I would rather spend the day with Tsuruga-san," she told him. "I think it would be more fun this way."

It was slightly refreshing, he decided, that she chose him over what he had long come to refer to as his "evil and frankly pathetic twin."

"If that's what you'd like, then once we're finished with this I'll show you my plans for the rest of today."

Chiori checked her phone at lunch to see that she had four more messages from Kanae and none from Kyoko. She sighed and pocketed the device and promising Kanae again that she would text if Kyoko contacted her. The truth was Chiori was much less worried than Kanae. It was Kyoko. The girl barely remembered that she had a phone.

Her "date" asked if there was a problem and Chiori shook her head.

"I just have silly friends," she told him.

Ren's plans for the rest of the day entailed yet another argument as he left Kyoko with the last couple of dishes and came back with a brightly wrapped package in his arms.

"What," she demanded in menacing accents, "is _that!_"

"Your birthday present."

"No. You got me roses for my birthday. We talked about this last night."

"Those were special. Because you turned eighteen. This is your actual present, to go with the roses."

"Tsuruga-san-"

"You won't even open it first? To see if you like it?"

"If I open it, you win. Tsuruga-san, I really am grateful for the earrings, and for the roses, and for everything that you've done for me. You didn't have to spend Christmas with me and I'm really grateful for you putting up with the president's crazy plans. But this is…"

"If you don't open it, you'll ruin my brilliant plan for the afternoon," he told her, holding it out. She took it and shook it carefully hearing little pieces rattle inside.

"I'm not really fond of board games, Tsuruga-san," she said as she held it back out to him.

"Just open it. You don't have to keep it if you don't like it."

Kyoko persisted for anther moment before beginning to tear the paper off the box. When she finally looked at what she had opened her jaw dropped.

"It isn't a board game," Ren stated with no small amount of amusement.

"Haaa," Kyoko responded, still in awe.

It was a puzzle. The nicest puzzle she had ever seen with a spectacular picture painted on top of the box depicting a scene Ren had to have known that she could not reject. A little girl sat in a wooded glade, laughing happily at a small fairy sitting in her cupped hands. The small fairy had golden hair and wore a thin gold circlet across his brow. The picture seemed to sparkle and shimmer.

"I can keep it if you still don't want it, but…"

"You… are evil. An evil and hateful and manipulative man."

"You like it?"

"You never expected me to say no to this," she told him, a mix of wonder and frustration on her face. "That's why you saved it for last. So you could make me keep all of the gifts."

"Well, I'll admit that is a bonus, but it actually wasn't my plan. I figured since I have so much room here and we have so much time, it would be easiest to try and put the puzzle together today. It's a little large," he told her pointing to a small notice on the front with "2,000 pieces" stamped just under the image.

"Oh, can we?"

"Of course. There should be plenty of room on the table-"

He was suddenly yanked into a sporadic hug for a single second and the puzzle box slammed into his back. Then, as he recovered from his daze, Kyoko danced about the room in a state of pure bliss.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you!_" she sang as she spun around over and over until she came to a stop back in front of him again.

"Shall we get started? I'm not much of a puzzle person, but I think between the two of us we can finish in good time."

It turned out that neither of them were puzzle people. But they did have fun taking their time sorting through the pieces and figuring where everything went. By five thirty Kyoko was holding her breath as she placed the very last piece, which had the prince's face, into place.

"It's finished," she gasped out on the breath she had been holding. Even with all the puzzle lines running through it she thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever helped make.

"And just in time for dinner," Ren nodded to the clock.

"Oh, you're right. Can we… leave it out. Just for now?"

"Of course."

She skipped happily into the kitchen and set to work on dinner, still so excited that Ren caught snippets of humming as he stayed out of her way in the living room.

Well, for all that he had been worried about it, the day hadn't turned out so bad after all.

Dinner was comfortable in spite of the fact that it was arranged around the puzzle. Kyoko kept gazing at the picture fondly and smiling in a way that made up for all the trouble Ren had put up with over the last couple of days.

"Did you have fun?" Kyoko turned to face him and gave him her best smile yet.

"Yes! It was wonderful. I keep forgetting that I told you about Corn. It's so… sweet." Her finger ran over the pieces, stopping to hover over the form of the fairy. "Thank you. It's been a really great birthday."

"And here I thought we were supposed to be celebrating Christmas," he teased as he started to stack his dishes. Kyoko froze and looked up in horror.

"I completely forgot," she croaked. "The president is going to _kill_ me." Ren laughed.

"I think he'll just be glad that you had a good day. After all, for you Christmas is special because it is also your birthday. His only instructions were to stay with me, and you had a pretty good time. I think he'll forgive the lack of Christmas spirit."

"But…" He took pity on her.

"Would you like to do one more thing, just to try and make it feel like the holiday again?" She nodded. "Alright. Why don't we head out and take a walk. We'll try and hunt down Christmas decorations. How does that sound?"

Kyoko nodded an enthusiastic agreement.

"Leave her alone," Chiori told Kanae over the phone as she waited for her "date" to pay their dinner bill. "She's a big girl. You can let her go for a day without checking up on her."

"She's alone with _him._" There had been many a discussion about the feelings of Tsuruga Ren in the conversations that Chiori and Kanae had had. Both were now in agreement that he was madly in love with Kyoko, but also a pansy of a man who would never have the guts to confess. A real disillusionment for most girls, but the two LoveMe girls only shrugged and said that he was a guy and was, as such, cursed from the get go.

"You are talking about the two most starchy people either of us know. He's a coward and she wouldn't do anything even if she did have a clue that she was in love with him. But she isn't going to make a phone call when she's in company. So relax."

"Fine. You're right. But I'm calling her first thing in the morning."

"Alright. Ah, he's back, gotta go."

Ren and Kyoko finished the dishes as quickly as they could. Then they dressed up in their coats and left the apartment, Kyoko stealing another glance at her puzzle as she closed the door behind them.

They walked for a while, pointing at various houses with the tiniest of decorations or festivity draped all over them. They were most amused by trying to dress up the houses even further with what they thought the president would add to the decor. The night was cold, but between the walking and the various bouts of chuckling and laughter, neither of them noticed.

"Well, I have to admit," Kyoko told Ren as they moved down an empty side street, "Christmas is much more fun with someone else. I suppose I have to give the president that much."

"Haven't you spent most of your Christmases with other people?"

"Hmm, yes. But this year was nice too. Spending time with just one other person." Her smile was a little embarrassed, but sweet. "I'm glad that we got to spend Christmas together. Even if you did give me far too many presents!"

"You'll need to get used to it," he told her. "I'll be giving you two gifts for the rest of your life. You don't get to escape them."

"That's a lot of gifts," she complained.

"No more than a normal person gets every year," he retorted. "So no trying to refuse them. You'll break my heart."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't tease girls like that. They might misunderstand yo-"

"HA!" an obnoxious voice shouted suddenly on Ren's right. The two turned to see a boy about ten years old crouched on top of a wall that enclosed a small apartment complex. He was pointing at the couple with a look of triumph.

"Yes," Ren asked, a little annoyed.

"Got you!" he told them with unrestrained glee, moving his finger from them to a bare tree branch that stretched over the sidewalk where they were standing. The two looked up, but could not make out anything in particular.

"With what?" Ren questioned, still searching the branch in case something should fall off suddenly.

"Mistletoe!" he announced gleefully and Ren thought he saw some dots of white and a streak of green amongst the dark of the tree. "My sister said that people who walk under mistletoe have to kiss. She wanted some for her stupid boyfriend, but I stole it! And now you have to kiss her!"

Kyoko shrank back, and Ren could not be sure if she was pulling away from the boy or from himself. He let the fleeting thought that Lory had something to do with this dash through he head and die in a splat on the side of his brain. Even a man that scary could not actually have planned this. So Ren started inwardly cursing the boy instead.

"Let's go, Mogami-san," he said, tugging gently on her sleeve. "We don't have to be part of his prank."

"You can't go!" the boy cried. "I've been waiting here all night. It's mistletoe. You gotta kiss her! Ain't you man enough!" he challenged violently.

Ren would have ignored this sally, but he had to admire the determination of the boy. Excusing himself that the boy would follow them and harass them if Ren didn't give him some satisfaction, Ren bent down and placed a soft kiss on Kyoko's cheek, pulling a squeak from her. This apparently pleased the boy, who gave a quick whistle and dropped down on the other side of the wall, cackling.

"Merry Christmas," he smiled at her, earning a scowl. "He wasn't going to let us get away," Ren told her in place of an apology. He was not actually sorry, after all. "Crazy kid though," he murmured, looking back up at the tree and the wall.

Kyoko was silent, staring at the ground with a look of intense concentration on her face. Her mind drifted over all the various things Ren had done for her the past day, and over all of the wonderful gifts he had given her.

"Tsuruga-san."

"Hmm?" He looked down at her.

Before he could move (or she could change her mind) she stepped up on her toes and forward. Ren was stunned as he felt her mouth touch his in a flustered and inexpert kiss. The moment was brief and even more shocking than the spontaneous hug earlier that evening.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered, looking away from him. He blinked, then smiled as he saw the color rising in her cheeks. After watching her for a moment he turned and grabbed her hand, pulling her gently the way they had come.

"Let's head back," he smiled, ignoring her discomfort. "We'll get everything cleaned up and I'll take you home."

She allowed herself to be pulled along and he did not release her hand. The wind was still cold and now they were both beginning to feel it. But as he chose to sneak a glance at Kyoko and saw the heightened red still burning on her cheeks, Ren could not help but smile a little. For all his complaints, he would have to say that this was his best Christmas yet. He even had a little hope for next year.

* * *

_End. I truly hope that you liked it. Happy Holidays of every variety all around._

_Super special thanks to Will who put up with a truly lousy internet connection to take a peek at this before I forced it on you.  
_


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